A decade ago ghost hunting used to be considered a bizarre pastime. Few people were involved in the hobby and most people never head of the concept. Back then ghost enthusiasts were on a cutting edge with the possibility of actually discovering something new. Then TV started multiple ghost hunting series and suddenly the subculture has become mainstream. The movie Paranormal Activity made over 100 million dollars showing how widely recognized the concept has become. In the process there seems to be less activity with the amateur community, many who have lost interest and left “ghosting” behind.

The difficult part in trying to record paranormal phenomena is finding a genuine haunting. Spirits come and go, and a location with a reputation for being haunting one decade may no longer be haunted another decade. Spirits of the dead may linger for a short time after their death, but a long-term haunting is really rare. If someone encounters a true spirit once or twice in a lifetime they are lucky.

I suspect the world is filled with temporary ghosts, as nearly everybody who dies will have a brief period of time when their spirit is earthbound before they depart the physical world forever. I’d guess a hospital would be filled with such spirits. However, most spirits don’t have the capacity to interact with the physical and let their presence be known. Only those who are sensitives may notice signs of their presence. Most of us would be oblivious if a ghost stood next to us.

Sometimes a spirit may be so attached to the physical world they refuse to let go. Terrible tragedies, extreme emotional states, unfinished earthly business, or deep regrets can trap a soul. It they are able to retain a connection to this world, they become that rare thing…a ghost.

Necromancy

For the ghost enthusiasts the lack of ghosts is a hindrance to the hobby. However, if the world is filled with temporary ghosts, instead of trying to find the ghost, why not invite the ghost to visit us instead? This could have a higher (albeit still slim) chance at success then walking around cemeteries at night.

In the distant past sorcerers would try to contact the dead with necromancy. Necromancers would use ceremonial magic, elaborate rituals using magic circles inscribed on the floor to protect the operator from hostile spirits. Eventually these involved rituals were abandoned for a more direct method to contact the dead…spiritualism. Mediumship and channeling came into fashion. Seances, Ouija boards, and automatic writing replaced the old style necromancy.

If we want to photograph the souls of the dead, why not ask them to appear for us? How to accomplish that? Many methods could be tried. I’ll relate my own experiment at summoning the spirits of the dead.

1. The timing

The Witching Hour

Awhile ago I visited a friend on a Saturday evening. My friend and I decided to try summoning any wandering spirit to join us late night. Timing is very important when it comes to summoning spirits. It was 2 am, the perfect time for this operation. It is said that during the “witching hour” the spirits have a highest capability to manifest their presence. It is suggested spirits are somehow able to manipulate electromagnetism, explaining much of ghostly phenomena. The Earth’s electromagnetic field is at its quietest point opposite the sun during the dead of night. Less “static” allow ghosts to interact with the physical world.

In addition, late night is a time when the environment turns quiet. Most people are asleep, or preparing for slumber. Importantly, there is less distraction for the attention of wandering spirits. With less going on late at night it is easier to attract the notice of a passing lost soul. The point is to be the only game in town.

2. Choosing the place

It is assumed that cemeteries are the best place to encounter ghosts. I doubt that. The dead tend to dwell at the places they knew in life. If we were spirits, why would we want to stand around a desolate cemetery without anything to do? If a known haunted location is not available, the best place to summon the dead would be in a populated area. It makes sense, since cities and towns are where most people pass away, sometimes tragically. The chance of someone dead being close by is pretty good.

Our experiment took place in the backyard of a crowded city neighborhood home. By day this residential city neighborhood was busy but late at night it became very quiet. The backyards were fairly sizeable and all were empty that night. We were alone and it almost felt like we were in a rural area.

3. Attracting the dead’s attention

A spirit may be in a semi-somnambulant state, half conscious and vaguely aware of its surroundings…drifting imprisoned unable to free itself. But if a ghost has retained a sufficient measure of consciousness, it will be an observer of its surroundings. What strikes its interest will attract its attention…and presence.

I wonder if the point of elaborate magic rituals is simply to attract attention to its self. Rituals for attracting spirits often included ceremonial costumes, masks, drumming, dancing or unusual physical movements and proclamations. If we were walking by and saw people engaged in a weird ritual, we would want to stop and see what was going on. So it is for the spirit world.

We decided to use music to attract spiritual attention. What music would work best? Since the dead tend to be older people, and since a ghost remains among the living usually for tragic reasons, we played the Blues. Muddy Waters in particular. In the quiet of the night, if a soul passed by they would hear blues in the distance…and might want to see what was going on.

4. The invitation and an offering

As we sat listening to the music, we would talk to any invisible presence and invite them to stay with us. We welcomed all who wished to share our music and our company. We set aside a spot at the table for any invisible visitors. There was an empty chair with a drink sitting there as if it were waiting for someone. An offering is important, and is a part of many ceremonial rituals. A spirit cannot partake of the physical substance, but it can remind them of what it was like in life.

A proper, respectful attitude is required. If this is attempted in jest, like a big joke, don‘t expect results. One should open their mind and accept the possibility. The dead may want to contact you and it takes a heightened sense of awareness to perceive clues to their presence. If we are perceptive, we’ll notice something. It could be a sudden cold spot, a tingling, a feeling that someone is beside you. How far you want to open your mind to communicate with spirits is a personal choice.

5. Recording

It will become time to capture any results from the summoning, depending on your equipment. Eventually I began to take pictures, after a polite request to any unseen visitors for their indulgence. If someone wanted they could use a digital recorder for any EVPs, or set up a camcorder and just let it record.

Summoning Orbs

On a chilly autumn night we tried our experiment. We invited any wandering spirit to hang out with us. I took a number of photos and caught an orb that seemed to float around in different photos (images shown at the top and bottom of this page). My friend felt a presence behind him and asked me to quickly take his picture. I took two pictures in sequence and sure enough there was an orb right beside him and behind his head. The orb in motion is intriguing. Ghosts or just a trick of the camera? Either way it was an uncanny coincidence. I’d like to imagine a friendly entity spent some time with us that night.

6 Responses to “An experiment in summoning ghosts and spirits”

I live near a Civil War battlefield, and the spirits in and around my home make full use of the “witching hour”. (They like to wake me up at that time, actually. I think I look too peaceful or something.) But some of their stronger feats, I’ve noticed, have been during the afternoon and evening hours…such as throwing papers out of the trash can, pushing over a water jug with water in it, and tossing a Sharpie marker across the room.

Anyway, if their manifestations are due to their ability to manipulate electromagnetism, this makes me wonder what will happen when the Earth undergoes its next electromagnetic pole reversal. (Something that may happen at any time since the Earth is overdue, they say.) I wonder how this will effect their ability to interact with the physical world.

Hi Jazz,
Thanks for relating your experiences. In a way you are lucky to have these manifestations. Ghost hunters search far and wide hoping to encounter the paranormal. And sometimes it’s right in our backyard.

I really do believe that spirits can manipulate the electromagnetic force. It makes sense. Our brains work with electrical impulses. Electromagnetism might be the conduit that connects the spirit world with the physical world.
Dave

In the article What are UFOs? we spoke about the connection between UFOs and humanoids. We spoke about how some people believe that they have seen these spacecrafts and also how they have communicated with their inhabitants. Some of them believe that they have received special messages from these humanoids to transmit to people – messages that are generally quite conventional.
On the other hand, when it is a question of spiritualism and a connection beyond the border, they are similar. In spiritualism, it is believed that there are also other things besides mere air around and near us. These are mainly deceased spirits with whom people can be connected to receive and deliver messages.
Many people also like to think that they have been in contact with their relatives and their next-of-kin, receiving messages from them. On the other hand, others believe that they have been in contact with well-known people such as Napoleon, Picasso, Carl Jung, pharaohs, kings, or even people who are mentioned in the New Testament. The best example could be the famous medium, Arthur Ford who claimed to have been in connection with 8,000 deceased people.
However, we may ask whether it is possible that in this case, just as in the UFO phenomena, it is only a question of deceit? Many people who have been dealing with these things do not take this into consideration, making a great mistake.
We are going to look at this issue closely and mainly from the point of view that there is a spiritual world that tries to lead people away from God. We will look at this in the light of these following points:

– There is a spiritual world
– Why are mediums needed?
– Practical observations
– What does the Bible say about the whereabouts of the dead?
– “In connection only with good spirits”.
– Where does the ghost phenomena come from?

Hi Telson,
I understand your concerns with spiritualism. And you could very well be right. Anyone involved in spiritualism has to be clearly educated in the consequences. But the same can be said for any spiritual belief. Christianity can be a double-edged sword, used for good or shame. The same for Islam. The only harmless spiritual belief (in my opinion) is Buddhism.
Dave

as i concern about spirit, do not make them mad or angry, and if u do make them angry, you prepare for the worse, for the chance on escaping the undead (ghost) and orbs,or even the worst the spirit that cannot R.I.P brought some holy water or something that repel some of them, well a i concern if you want to call all of the ghost and spirit, i am indonesian believe some spiritualistic thingy and if u want i tell ou 2 thing that u want to call all ghost

1st is jelangkung ritual, same like ouija board but it’s different it using empty coconut make it big hole maybe enough 10cm or 11.5 cm and make some cross make from wood or bamboo or anything that can point the pen for the ghost to write their own will haha that’s funny, but i already know how the feels is, suroundedn by orbs, ghost, demon, spirit and other things, but eventualy their is positive energy on them so they are frendly, but do not take some negative energy their are full of vengeance and sorrow also revenge feeling.

2nd there are some potion for summon some such as spirit and ghost, in indonesia it name “menyan” well that was wierd name right but be carefull if u ind cemetery awhohoho you don’t wanna feel what i feel in there same as jelangkung ritual surrounded by undead, ghost and etc.
in indonesia ghost such as shrouded ghost (pocong)- girl ghost (kuntilanak)- (witch ghost) nenek lampir (usualy this ghost are not R.I.P and eventualy she’s is a witch), etc. just look on wiki for indonesian ghost ok bye